Chase Jarvis, Scott Robert Lim and me

Time for me to give some shout outs to a couple of people who have influenced my photography greatly over the past year and a half and we’ve never even met. Under their unknowing tutelage, my image making has made some pretty good leaps forward.

Chase Jarvis is one of the founders of Creative Live which hoses what the internet techies call MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses. Creative Live is the platform that allows speakers to talk about their craft. The site started with photography but has expanded to encompass more creative endeavours like Art & Design, Music & Audio, Craft & Maker and Money & Life. The best part? When the courses are taught, they’re free to watch. If you want to buy the course, and some of them you will, the price almost always seems reasonable, especially with the amount of information you get.

For example, one of those must-haves for me is “Crazy Stupid Light” taught by Scott Robert Lim who is an L.A. based photographer. I’ve learned a great deal over the years about speedlights thanks to David Hobby and Joe McNalley and their Flashbus tour. But Lim took me over the top with the tips and tricks I learned from his course. If you’re looking to expand what you know about these compact stobes, it’s a course I highly recommend. In fact, the photos here use the additional techniques I took in from Lim.

I know, I sound like a paid spokesman, but I just really enjoy what Creative Live is all about. And for a self-taught photographer like myself, it’s the best continuing education on the net right now.